India has emerged as a security provider in Indo-Pacific: Rajnath Singh

New Delhi : India has emerged as a regional power and net security provider in the Indo-Pacific as its capacity to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to its citizens as well as regional partners has grown in recent years, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Tuesday.

Singh asserted that under SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is cooperating with multiple partners to ensure economic growth and security in the region while tackling threats such as natural disasters.

“We have strengthened multilateral partnerships through engagement via regional mechanisms. This has improved interoperability enabling faster response in crisis situations,” he said while speaking at the multi-agency Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) exercise ‘Samanvay 2022’ on Tuesday.

He pointed out that Asia, particularly the Indo-Pacific region, is vulnerable to the impact of climate change, expressing confidence that the participation of national stakeholders with friendly nations in the ‘Samanvay 2022’ will further enhance disaster management capabilities.

He highlighted that prediction of natural disasters has to be accompanied by dissemination of information to a larger population and shifting people to safer locations, which requires empowered machinery. As nations have different capacities, collaborative preparation to deal with disasters is required, he stressed.

Singh called upon the nations to come together in dealing with natural disasters by sharing resources, equipment and training. In HADR, there is a need to share information for regional cooperation and best practices, he added.